


set my soul alight

by croiagusanam



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Sad Percy Jackson, Sad Sally Jackson, Twilight!AU, Vampire!Annabeth, hurting a loved one to protect them, mortal!Percy, technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27176710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croiagusanam/pseuds/croiagusanam
Summary: Percy knows what he's about to say to Sally will save her life. It doesn't make it hurt him any less for doing it.A rewrite of the one scene that makes me emotional from Twilight, but Percy and Sally
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 25





	set my soul alight

‘Annabeth I told you, leave me the _fuck_ alone!' Percy shouts, yanking the front door open. Just loud enough, thinks. It won't catch the attention of the neighbours, but it's just loud enough to be believable.

'Percy wait,' Annabeth shouts back, 'please, let's talk about this!' She advances towards the door, grey eyes boring into green. She's better at her role than he is as his.

'It's over, get out!' he yells back, slamming the door in her face before spinning for the stairs. He hears his mother scramble from the couch where she was napping, but he keeps his gaze focused to his front. He’s sure that if he sees her he’ll break, and it will all have been for nothing. He hits the first step by the time his mom’s voice catches up.

“Percy, what’s going on?” She’s hot on his heels until he slams the bedroom door behind him, clicking the lock as he leans against it to catch a breath. “Perce, baby is everything ok? Can you talk to me?” He doesn’t answer, instead turning away from the door into Annabeth’s waiting arms.

‘How am I meant to do this,’ he asks, clutching her like a lifeline, ‘without hurting her?’ His words are punctuated by the soft knocks on his bedroom door, before Annabeth breaks the embrace and hands him a bag she’s begun filling with clothes.

‘Say whatever you have to. It’s better than the monsters out there thinking you'll be coming back to her.’ She looks him over and he tries to ignore the pity in her gaze. ‘Once you get on the road, pull in as soon as you’re out of sight. You can do this.’ With that she climbs out the window and he’s alone again, praying that the cracks in his resolve won’t break. He finishes filling his bag, takes a breath, and storms out the door towards the bathroom.

Sally is waiting to intercept him in the hallway, her gaze pressing on the weak points of his dam. ‘Did she hurt you? Or break up with you?’ He wishes his mom was an asshole, or uncaring. Hurting that version of her would be a lot easier than the one who’d done nothing but sacrifice for him.

‘No and no,’ he mutters, teeth clenched. ‘I broke up with her.’

‘I thought you guys were good? Just yesterday we rented your tux for prom!’ There’s a tinge of disbelief in her voice, like she can see that he’s being disingenuous. Fuck, he wants to scream. 

‘We were good, but yesterday just made me realise I don’t want this, that I have to get out of here.’ Please don’t pry, he begs. Don’t force me to hurt you.

‘And go where, Percy?’ says Sally ‘Your dad is on vacation, he’s not in San Francisco anymore.’ A good question.

‘He’ll come home when I call. I need to get going soon, I want to be there by sunrise.’ She frowns at that, he thinks and he stomps down the stairs to escape her gaze for just a moment, filling a water bottle at the sink.

‘You can’t drive for twelve hours now Percy! Look, please sleep on it and we can get you a plane ticket in the morning if you still want to go.’

‘No, look, I need to think. The drive will let me think and I promise to pull in if I get too tired. I have the money for a motel room.’ He moves to the door and is pulled back when she grabs at his arm.

'Kiddo, look, I know I’m not much fun to be around but that can change! We can do more stuff together!'

One step closer to the edge. He meets her gaze for the first time since getting home, and for a moment he hopes he’ll be too weak to do what he thinks he has to. Unfortunately, no son of Sally Jackson could ever be a coward.

'Like what? Like sit in the living room watching the game while you cross stitch? Sunday afternoons with your puzzle books? Eat blue food, like I'm still a child? That's you mom. That's not me.’ 

He’s teetering on the edge, hoping the breeze he feels building dissipates before it reaches him.

'Percy please I- I just got you back.'

He falls.

'Yeah. And you know if I don't get the hell out now, I'm gonna end up stuck here like dad.’

The next few moments flash together. He knows he’ll see them every time he closes his eyes to sleep. She lets go of his arm. He watches her process 15 years of heartbreak all over again. He runs for the car as the first tear begins to form at the corner of her eye.

He’s on the road, pulling in for Annabeth before he realises they’re forming in his eyes too. She knocks on his door a second later, and he clambers over to the passenger side to let her in. She starts the car and takes off before glancing over at him.

‘She’s gonna forgive you. You only did what you did to protect her.’

‘She won’t. I don’t deserve it. If you had seen her face you’d know that.’ His vision is so blurred he can barely see the road ahead. ‘I told her the exact same thing dad did when he walked out with me.’

He plummets down and down and figures he would’ve been better off allowing himself to be taken than being so cruel. Surely a son taken too soon by a tragic accident would be better than one who could be so cruel.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you enjoyed and [follow me on tumblr!](https://thatirishmichael.tumblr.com/)


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